By: Sarah and Jacob

   A canal is a man made water way. It is used to connect different waterways such as in this case the Hudson and Lake Erie. Travel and trade is made easier because of this. The idea of the Erie Canal was De Witt Clinton’s, but his idea was criticized and scorned. The Erie Canal was built to link the Atlantic Ocean and the great lakes, opening the western part of the state and the mid-west settlement, this allowed new markets to start business and bringing unimaginable prosperity to NYC. Construction began in Rome, July 4 1817.

 Many people helped build the canal. Most of those people were immigrants, such as the Irish. They were looking for jobs because Ireland at that time was very poor. So once everybody heard about the canal they came as quickly as they could.

 The two bodies of water that are connected are the Atlantic Ocean and the great lakes. It also opened new opportunities for new markets and businesses. Another thing is it allowed the French to trade with New York .

 To travel from Albany to Buffalo it took about 363 miles.

 Some of the cities are Syracuse, Rome, Rochester, Schenectady, Troy, Utica, Buffalo, Lockport, Albany, Oswego, Watertown, Rossville and Fulton.

   The canal is useful today for fishing and canoeing. The towpaths are useful for jogging, biking, walking dogs etc. Back then it was useful for transportation and lots more. The impact was that within fifteen years of the canals opening, New York was the busiest port in America. New York also became the major supplier of goods and people moving to the frontier. It made travel faster and cost less money.

The canal is used today. But the canal isn’t used for trade as it used to be. But it is still used for fun. For example, exercising and sight seeing.

      The amount of money to build the Erie canal was seven million dollars. The length, width and depth of the canal was 363 miles long, 4 feet deep and 20 feet wide. A lock was used to raise and lower water elevation so boats can get around on the canal. The locks were enlarged between 1836 and 1862 to keep the pace with the faster traffic on the canal. Types of boats that traveled on the canal was most commonly packet boats. They were 18 feet wide and 60 - 80 feet long. Bum boats were small boats that carried goods for canalers. All boats were pulled by mules and horses[except for bum boats]. Passengers were charged two cents per mile. Sleeping arrangements were problematic because of how many would be on one boat. Aqueducts were bridges that carried water over water.

Sources:

“Boating Information.” NYS Canals. 14 Apr. 2011 .

“The Erie Canal.” PBS Kids Go! 14 Apr. 2011 .

“The Erie Canal: A Brief History.” NYS Canals. 14 Apr. 2011 .

“The Erie Canal: A Journey Through History.” ePodunk. 14 Apr. 2011 .

“Images of the Erie Canal in Syracuse.” The Erie Canal. 14 Apr. 2011 .

“Locks on the Erie Canal.” The Erie Canal. 14 Apr. 2011 .

  My name is Jacob Roberts. I am 10 and a half. I have smoky blue eyes and brown hair. My fav0rite leisure activity is playing outside and playing video games. I was born in New York on October 6, 2000. When I was 9 I broke my arm by falling down stairs and had to have surgery on it. My favorite color is blue. My favorite food is sloppy Joes. The most interesting thing I found about the Erie canal was how many cities the Erie Canal connected. My name is Sarah Speck. I have brown eyes and brown hair. My favorite hobby is Tae Kwon Do. My family is my mom, dad, brother, 1 dog, 2 cats and 3 fish. I was born on May 25, 2001. My favorite food is salmon. My favorite color is Purple. I am a junior in Girl Scouts. The most interesting fact that I learned was how much it cost to build the canal .